Graduate Trainees Join the Ambassador Theatre Group on a Groundbreaking New Two-Year Training Programme

This week, two promising young professionals join the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) on its pilot Graduate Scheme, a unique new initiative launched for the first time this autumn to develop the future leaders of commercial theatre.

Rachel Lane and Jamie Budgett, recent Graduates of University College Londonand the University of Bristol respectively, are the company's inaugural Graduate Trainees.

ATG seeks to train exceptional young leaders in management and administration, equipping them for managerial positions across its departments, to create an excellent workforce from the roots up. Like many Graduate Schemes in other industries, the programme will last two years with a broad range of placements in the first year to develop a strong business foundation, followed by specialist placements in the second year.

ATG's Learning Partnerships Manager, Zoë Briggs, said,

"We are delighted to welcome Rachel and Jamie as our first ever Graduate Trainees. ATG takes great pride in nurturing talented and ambitious young employees, developing industry-specific knowledge and experience to build careers. This new Graduate Scheme is a testament to our commitment to developing our workforce and it is expected that Graduate Trainees will strengthen the candidate pool for future job vacancies across the business."

ATG staff from across the organisation were part of the recruitment process, which took place earlier this year and included an application form, a telephone interview, an assessment day involving group and individual tasks, and a formal interview and presentation.

There were nearly 250 applications and the vacancy advert was one of the most visited job pages ever on www.atgtickets.com/jobs.

Rachel and Jamie impressed staff at every stage and excelled amongst tough competition to gain their places as ATG's first Graduate Trainees.

With 39 venues in the UK, and a rapidly expanding international reach, ATG offers a uniquely broad insight into commercial theatre and venue operations. Participants will develop a thorough perspective of the UK theatre industry through placements in ATG's renowned presenting theatres as well as its head offices in London and Woking. The Graduate Trainees will spend their first six months getting to grips with regional theatre at the Liverpool Empire and Milton Keynes Theatre.

This new initiative complements ATG's existing learning and development programmes, including an established office internship. ATG's leading award-winning technical apprenticeship programme has grown this year to offer eight apprenticeships in theatres across the country, with wage subsidy from the Creative Employment Programme.

If the pilot Graduate Scheme is successful, ATG expects to develop and extend the scheme in the future, recruiting more Graduate Trainees in 2015 and beyond.